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Like all of us do from time to time, I was reading about the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. I know, I know: You’re all bored of me talking about the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. It’s pretty much what every liberal blog, and especially every one that deals with Washington State politics, is just obsessed with. I hear you, so just this one time, and then I’ll have to go find some other thing to write about.

Anyway, I was reading about the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and I was surprised to learn how pro-trade the Democrats were, and the Republicans weren’t, at least according to a few paragraphs in Once in a Great City, and then some Internet research.

Part of that is a strange bravado that Kennedy had with things when he said “A vital expanding economy in the free world is a strong counter to the threat of the world Communist movement. This act is, therefore, an important new weapon to advance the cause of freedom.” So sure, Democrats being cold warriors. OK. We kinda did that.

But I think part of it was an assumption that it’s pushing our values. At the time, the head of the UAW supported it. It was still an open question what post-war Europe would look like, and I think trading with us, with our then strong unions and democratic values would pass that on.

So, maybe for those of us who aren’t big on NAFTA and the WTO for labor and environmental reasons, there are lessons. Maybe we need to have those sort of protections in the trade deals. I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but if earlier liberals thought of trade as a way to improve things, we probably could too. I don’t know if that makes more sense than just rejecting them, and I don’t know what labor or environmental protections you could get 2/3 of the Senate to pass for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, how will I drag the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 into the next post is anyone’s guess.

Are you excited about whoever has filed where you are? If not, are you gonna run? Are you? Seriously, you have until 5:00 Friday. Here’s the list of the people who have filed so far, and it looks like some of them could use some competition.

I never get allergies, but this year, they’ve just knocked me on my ass. I don’t know if it’s the warm spring or what looks like all of the world’s Scotch Broom growing by the building where I work.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally. We’ll have the Kentucky and Oregon presidential primaries for our personal amusement, plus lots of local and regional stuff to discuss and debate.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the small room at the back of the tavern. We start at 8:00pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings this week. Tonight, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, WA chapters meet. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. And on Thursday, the Tacoma, Bremerton, and Spokane chapters meet.

There are 179 chapters of Living Liberally, including nineteen in Washington state, three in Oregon and one in Idaho. Find (or start!) a chapter near you.

The Obama administration’s administrative directive on trans students is great first and foremost on its own. It’s tough enough navigating high school no matter who you are. But if you’re a trans person and even pooping can be a mined field, this will hopefully make things a bit easier.

On top of that, it’s great for how much it makes the right people sad. Oh my God, do I love asshole tears.

Leviticus 25:44-46
Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

Discuss.

Matthew Filipowicz with Alice Ollstein: Restoring the voting rights of felons.

MinutePhysics: Solution to the Grandfather paradox.

GOP Drumpf-fest 2016:

• Ann Telnaes: Paul Ryan met with Donald Drumpf
• Donald Drumpf makes a YUGE announcement.
• Daily Show: Drumpf’s taxes?
• Donald Drumpf goes for ice cream.
• Jimmy Dore chats with Chairman Reince Priebus
• Stephen: No news is Drumpf news.
• Harry Reid: Trump and McConnell see women as “dogs and pigs.”
• Roll Call: GOP leaders split on supporting Drumpf.
• Bill Maher: New Rule – Lady and the Trump
• Liberal Viewer: Bill Maher v Jon Stewart—Sexist v Non-Sexist Donald Drumpf critique.
• Roy Zimmerman: The clown has taken over the party

• How to make your own Drumpf at home
• Mark Fiore: Extrumpaganza!
• Larry Wilmore: Donald Drumpf bashes Hillary Clinton
• Seth Meyers: Drumpf and White Nationalists—a closer look.
• Stephen counsels Paul Ryan to wait until he’s ready
• Daily Show: Drumpf is a uniter…of immigrants.
• James Corden: Can Donald Drumpf and Paul Ryan make it work?
• Kimmel: Rick Perry endorses Donald Drumpf.
• Red State Update: Good Republicans support Donald Drumpf.
• Stephen: Trump’s chief nickname strategist makes Stephen cry.
• Drumpf gets kicked out of Drumpf Tower.
• Drumpf’s day on Capitol Hill
• Stephen: Ted Cruz could go further to the right
• Drumpf’s psychological disorder.
• Samantha Bee: End of Cruz campaign

David Hawkings’ Whiteboard: Inside Clinton’s voting record

Who owns GPS?

Jimmy Dore chats with Bill-O-the-Clown.

That Piece of Shit George Zimmerman in the news:

• Jimmy Dore: Piece of shit George Zimmerman’s gun auction.
• Larry Wilmore: George Zimmerman shocking gun auction.
• Young Turks: “Racist McShootface” bids on asshole’s gun.

Seth Meyers with Rachel Maddow: How Clinton beats Drumpf.

Samantha Bee: Crisis Pregnancy Centers:

Matthew Filipowicz: Are Democrats over-confident on Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton?.

Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship.

Jimmy Dore: Political jokes of the week.

State Sanctioned Discrimination:

• Stephen with Dan Savage: What’s next in the fight for LGBTQ equality.
• Michael Brooks: Loretta Lynch has strong words for N.C.; Ben Carson calls those words ‘A bunch of crap’
• Ann Telnaes: For NC, conservatives, privacy extends only to public restrooms
• David Pakman: Countersuits
• Samantha Bee: NC and 2010
• James Rustad: He wouldn’t let me use the bathroom:

Mental Floss: 21 jobs your guidance counselor didn’t mention.

Stephen with Dan Savage: Why Dan trusts Clinton over Trump.

Bernie Sanders’ retirement plan.

NASA: ISS marks 100,000th orbit.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

The women on the Seattle City Council have written a nice opinion piece rebutting the garbage people have thrown at them over their stadium/land use vote. It’s sad that the article was necessary in 2016.

Oh man Don Benton’s make work job is going away.

Benton and three other employees’ jobs will be eliminated due to the reorganization, and could save the county as much as $1.2 million over the next two years, McCauley said. Benton’s salary and benefits package totaled about $154,000 in 2015, according to Clark County.

Benton’s position has been the subject of continuing controversy after he was appointed to lead the department in May 2013 on the orders of Republican County Commissioners Tom Mielke and David Madore. As the controversy built, both men, who at the time had sole authority to hire department heads, have denied their role in Benton’s hiring. Instead, they blame then-County Administrator Bill Barron for the action.

On the one hand, I know, I know. I know. There are all sorts of government orgs, non-profits, and businesses that hire legislators. It’s not really that different from the former members of Congress (even ones I like) who are now lobbyists. It’s not that different from Ed Murray’s job at the UW (Seattle Times link). It’s not the best look, but whatever.

But on the other hand, I am definitely petty enough to laugh when it’s an asshole like Benton. Especially given the process in the first place. So ha!

It’s been three years almost to the day since Madore and Mielke tapped Benton to lead the environmental services department during a now-infamous board time meeting in 2013. The issue has continued to be a popular subject for those who comment to the council, despite Madore and Mielke’s continued insistence that they never directed Barron to hire Benton in the first place.

Benton’s appointment also drew criticism from around the state, including a Seattle Times editorial headlined “State Sen. Don Benton for environmental post? Really?”

And I’m legit sorry to anyone else who got caught up in the restructuring.

I cast my second meaningless vote in the primary (my caucus would have been 2 delegates for Clinton, 4 for Sanders no matter how I voted; this one awards no delegates). Still, if the system is going to be this, I’m happy to participate at the cost of a couple weekend afternoons and a stamp.

…and occasionally other content. Really. Twelve fucking years ago, Goldy wrote his first HA post.

And in his first post ever, he was already offering media criticism:

So to those upstanding members of the political and media establishment who insist I cannot possibly expect to maintain my credibility as an activist while producing an irreverent and outrageous blog, the Goldy half of me respectfully says: “fuck you.”

And the first use of the word “fuck” on this blog. (These are the small things that mean so much to us…)

Yes, I am writing this blog to amuse myself; if I entertain, educate or motivate others… great! But if some people occasionally find me rude or offensive, well… that’s okay too.

Judging by the number of comments we get to our endless series of open threads, there is, at the very least, some entertainment happening.

Little known fact…a blog-year is equal to about seven human years. That makes HA a “senior netizen” among blogs. And judging by the endless open threads of late, I guess you can say we are feeling it in our muscles and joints. We expect to feel more energetic any day now.

In the mean time, thanks, Goldy, for creating this blog. Thank you, dear reader, for stopping by our geriatric blog. And thank you, dear commenter, for playing in our cesspool.

Great news that the Army Corps of Engineers rejected a permit for the Gateway Pacific terminal. It’s still something that may be appealed, but for now it’s a good thing for those of us who have to live along the route. For anyone who has to breathe or to fish between Montana and Bellingham. It’s also pretty important for the climate impact going forward.

And it is important in a history of defining taking in the treaties. The right to take is pretty meaningless if what’s left to take is inadequate or non-existent.

This week in electoral politics includes a Nebraska GOP primary and a West Virginia primary. And there will be plenty of other topics to raise at this evening’s Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the small room at the back of the tavern. We start at 8:00pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings happening this week. Tonight, the Federal Way, Tri-Cities and Redmond chapters meet. On Thursday, the Kent chapter meets. Finally, on Monday, the Yakima chapter meets.

There are 178 chapters of Living Liberally, including nineteen in Washington state, three in Oregon and one in Idaho. Find (or start!) a chapter near you.

I’ve been quite impressed by KUOW’s series on The Jungle. The most recent piece this morning on the social worker and the preacher who go into the jungle was just amazing. It tied those two to the larger situations and to the city’s looking at future policies, so well.

2 Samuel 17:29
Cheese.

Discuss.